Roller skating makes a comeback in Massachusetts

Wednesday

When Michael Thompson started working at the Roller Kingdom about a decade ago, business was tough.

“We weren’t doing too hot for a few years,” Thompson said.

Like other roller skating rinks throughout the country, the Hudson company — which has a second location in Tyngsboro — suffered a decline in business during the Great Recession beginning in 2008. The once trendy activity became less popular and families had a tougher time justifying the entertainment expense, especially during one of the most trying economic times in American history.

In recent years, however, the country -- and especially Massachusetts -- has experienced economic growth. At the same time, gas prices have stayed low. The two together typically mean families have more disposable income, which is a good sign for entertainment venues such as roller skating. Other activities, including bowling, have seen similar resurgences.

“Some people watch the stock market, we watch gas prices,” quipped Jim McMahon, executive director of Roller Skating Association International, based in Indiana. “Gas prices and the strong economy really help because it creates more disposable income.”

McMahon said his association has seen signs of admissions growing at roller rinks across the country, especially during the last nine months – which directly correlates with falling gas prices.

“If gas prices go up and mom and dad still have to drive to work every day, there’s less disposable income,” he added.

In Hudson, activity has been increasing for even longer.

“For the last four years business has been climbing every year,” Thompson said.

Thompson, who got his first job at the business when he was 14 years old, fell in love with the skating and the atmosphere. He likes training teenagers who have come to work at the rink since he was that age.

He says the popularity is cyclical and teenagers who loved doing it when they were young are now parents looking for fun activities for their children.

“It brings back memories for a lot of people, so there’s definitely a nostalgia factor,” Thompson said.

Indeed, the popularity of roller skating has increased and fallen over the decades, thanks largely to economic swings. And roller skates have been around for a long time.

John Merlin of Belgium is credited with inventing roller skates in the 1760s, which he introduced at a party in England, according to the National Museum of Roller Skating in Nebraska.

The unveiling did not go particularly well.

“Though he was a well-known inventor, he was not a good skater. He could not control his speed or direction and crashed into a large mirror, severely injuring himself and possibly setting back the sport of roller skating for years,” according to the museum.

In the United States, roller skating was popular in the 1920s before nearly disappearing during the Great Depression. It made a comeback during the booming economy that followed WWII.

The activity reached its heyday with the proliferation of disco in the late 1970s. And after losing some popularity in the 1980s, roller skating became popular again during the 1990s when Rollerblading -- the iconic brand name for single-inline skates -- interested a new generation.

After the financial crisis of 2008, however, the roller-skating industry fell again out of favor. The business model itself operates on thin profit margins and because it requires so much space, moderate property tax increases can make or break a business.

“East Coast taxes are higher,” McMahon explained. “A roller rink takes about 30,000 square feet, so if property taxes go up a couple hundred dollars on average, it could be much more for a roller rink.”

In Beverly, Roller Palace opened in 1979 and operated as a roller rink until it shuttered in 2018. The family owned company sold its property to a self-storage facility, according to The Salem News.

But other Massachusetts roller rinks, including Forrest’s Family Fun Center in Taunton and Skylite Roller Skating Center in Worcester, continue to operate after decades in the business. Many others have made efforts to diversify the business model, offering other types of entertainment.

Fun America at Roll On America in Lancaster also opened in 1979 as a roller skating center and snack bar, but changed its name in 2012 after it started offering laser tag, an arcade and a games café.

“We changed our name to Fun America at Roll On America so that our name reflects that we are now not only a roller skating facility but a family fun center,” according to the company’s website.

In Saugus, Roller World makes it clear all are welcome.

“Not much of a skater? We also have plenty of games, prizes, and a concession stand with delicious snacks and refreshments,” according to its website.

embed code:

Massachusetts roller rinks -- like other parts of the Northeast -- are also advocating for greater collaboration with schools to promote STEM education. The idea is to use skating rinks to teach Newton’s Laws of Motion and other areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

“We’re excited about the success that’s having on the East Coast,” McMahon said.

McMahon’s association in 2012 also started a program called Kids Skate Free, offering children throughout the country two tickets to skate for free every week. The program has registered more than one million children since its start.

The program, along with the partnerships with schools, helps introduce another generation of potential skaters to the activity, which could go a long way toward keeping roller skating relevant in the years and decades to come.

“It’s fun,” Thompson said. “Kids cycle in and out and you get to see them grow up here.”

Eli Sherman is an investigative and in-depth reporter at Wicked Local and GateHouse Media. Email him at esherman@wickedlocal.com, or follow him on Twitter @Eli_Sherman.